He’s going to his work 
that he sees
someone bleeding,
or hears someone’s screams,
but he is in a hurry,
he keeps his mouth shut,
turns away his eyes and ears,
and writes a note
on the doors of his heart,
“Not seen, not heard”…

Done is undone,
and the heart remains unhurt,
indifferent,
intact,
and he moves forward
as a progressive citizen
of the country…

But he doesn’t forget
as a part of civil society,
to join a candle march
in the evening,
raising slogans against
the administration and culprits,
to wash away the stains, if any
of the soul,
like taking a dip
in the holy Ganges…

It helps him
to have a sound sleep,
to wake up fresh
the next morning,
to repeat the same routine,
if his eyes and ears
commit the same sin…

–Kaushal Kishore